SAturday August 30th~waiting for treasury to open

I decided to write a little bit while I wait for the treasury to open. I have been trying to do more creative things for myself instead of just working all the time. tonight I made the best dinner and wanted to share the recipe, I should have taken a photo but that will not happen as dinner is over.
I made slow cooked pork roast, small one in orange juice and cilantro and about 6 large tomatillos cut up. Cook for 4-5 hours and after 3 hours on low-medium heat break up the meat and do it again until it is completely torn apart. Keep the lid on the whole time until the last 1/2 hour.
Par cook an ear of white corn off the cob and add it to the following:
1/2 jalapeno chili raw minced
1/4 chopped red onion
1/2tomato chopped
lime juice from 1/2 of fresh lime
avocado perfect cut into cubes...too soft is not good
stir around and this is the salsa

Tortillas or corn tortillas warmed with some melted cheese and pinto or black beans. add the meat in chunks with some of the green sauce , throw the salsa over the top and if you are bold add a dash of sour cream and some shredded cabbage or lettuce. This is the best meal!
Here is the image above made into a gouache painting last night. (revamped original in previous post).I posted it on facebook as well.
I already have an idea for another I will attempt tonight. Now I really want to do some serious writing but when the time? If only a good Dictaphone were available for the MACs.

A Young Couple BAck in Time~ Friday already!

I admit I have neglected my dear ole blog. But then again so much is going on. I am working on both etsy and ebay full force. The dog is always begging for me to throw the ball and the phone is ringing alot with friends, family and today I had to do some photo washing in the sink, the photos are almost always stuck to the album with paste or glue and I don't like to sell them with scrapbook on back unless I have to. I just took a delicious tuna casserole out of the oven that I made with greek yogurt and breadcrumbs and parmesan on the top. I think I forgot the peas. Oh there will be no forgiveness for that one! But maybe the sweet yellow beets with vinegar and feta will help to heal that mistake.
I was going to put up a photo of Ted Kennedy but figured everyone had seen so many already.
I watched a special last night on the Kennedy family and really I was crying before it was over. I especially felt bad for Rose and Ethel Kennedy, the mother and wife of Bobby. Did you know Ethel was pregnant with their ninth child when Bobby was gunned down. Did you know also how hard it was on TEd with all the responsibility of the brother's wives and children under him. I feel that with the last Kennedy man dead of that generation that we have lost a good man and a good politician. I think he always stood up for those he believed in. Yes he made mistakes but heh what politician has not made some bad ones.
And considering the situation Ted was in, I think he pulled through very well.
So the end to a family that will often in history on into the future define a whole generation.
I recommend the film it was called"the ninth child" maybe because Ted was the 9th. Only his 81 yr old sister suvives. A farewell flag will fly for Ted Kennedy.

Hazel from Dallas The Fruit Shed ~Sunday!

Introducing Hazel Smith from Dallas. I finished this last night while watching a superb historical movie called The Lost Prince about a royal child w epilepsy who was innocent and brilliant but forced to live apart from his family and created a beautiful garden and learned to play the trumpet. Please rent this. IT is excellent film although my copy from Netflix was damaged so try to get it from a video store if possible or even view online for free. The scenery, costumes and acting really were the best.
Hazel is this woman's true name and I did the painting from a gem miniature photo. I am fascinated by those gems and have found incredible sources from them for paintings. the detail is always good and they were usually printed from strips of glass plate negatives. I know this because I have a huge collection of them that I have not even so much as printed one as yet. Oh were does the time go. I really wish I had an assistant as I could so use one. Couldn't we all?
I guess that is a good thing to have so much to do and not enough time. The worse case would be so much time and nothing to do. Being my mother's daughter I do not forsee that day.
I want to congratulate my father as he won 2nd prize at the Port Angeles County Fair this weekend for a wonderful painting he did of an antique shed with wooden work table covered w vegetables and ball jars with light coming in the window. I do believe it should have won a first place but what do the judges know of truly fine art at the local fair.



Sorry, I entered enough of them to know this. It is a wonderful time of year with the county fairs going on and the expensive greasy food. Still its something of a tradition in America and hopefully it will always be. Enjoy your Sunday! Don't forget to take the trash and recycling out tonight(that is a message to myself)

Friday already~New Watercolor/gouache

This is a gouache/watercolor of two young women who have stopped on the side of a creek somewhere to pick herbs or wildflowers. One holds her apron or skirt for the other to put the flowers in. This is a gauche painting from a photo that really spoke to me. The tenderness of the act. The simplicity of the two walking along and maybe one man who was their friend snapped the photo. This was not a clear image but rather a dark one and I had little detail to work with. I am not unhappy with the results as it really does look like the image. I love the process of translating photos to a softer medium such as watercolor or gouache. The later is rather unforgiving and so I am a novice with the medium and hope to find its true nature soon.
I hope the weekend ahead will bring a wonderful sense of a new beginning as it is the new moon and I have put up a new treasury with that title on Etsy Treasury West.
For all you mom's who are readying your kids to start back to school soon, take them somewhere fun this weekend to celebrate the end of their summer.. and the beginning of your time without them, either sadly, or with a mixed sense.
I met one mother through Ebay who is sending her boy to kindergarten this next week for the first time. Her story was so poignant about how he was her only, late in life baby and how hard it will be to be away from him. I wrote and told her that it really doesn't get better because even though my daughter is 17 she is now driving and doing things that make me worry and miss her still. Sounds funny but its true. Everything in life has its moments of separation and for that mom as she said"there are not enough Kleenex's in the world to help on his first day away from me." I love that LOVE and just had to share it!
have a good one!!

Penny w Horn Rim glasses~ Monday

As many of you know, I am a seller of vintage photos on EBay. Hundreds upon hundreds of photos pass by my eyes and through my hands. I pick the ones I believe will have interest to my long and loyal customers and then list them with whatever information I have to go with them. This young girl was found in an album of high school chums with 30 or so "gem miniatures" on one page. I have named her Penny. She was a black and white photo and now I tinted it slightly to give it some charm. There is something so wonderful about this image. I cannot say what it is but I am certain she was a gal with lots of style and charm. I share it with you.

I have decided, along with my hand painted photos and vintage glass negative prints on Etsy, to start selling vintage photos in my store as well. If ever an interest comes along to need or want to collect a few, I am offering as many as I can each day.

So here comes Monday and for us in Sedona Arizona the skies are filled with smoke. Last night on the news they announced there are 9 fires right now. Just letting the dog out I could not breathe and he came in sneezing. He has bad allergies like myself. Funny how I got a dog like that. But thinking of Rita in cross country this afternoon running in 100 degree heat with fires burning is pretty bad. I am sure her coach will have the sense not to run them and to work out in the weight room instead.

My grandaughter is in Barcelona and this morning started day one of an intensive Spanish course. She was raised in Mexico in private schools and her high school years in Oregon so she is more than fluent in Spanish. I am so proud and thrilled for her. I hope she enjoys the next 3 weeks she will be there. Thank goodness for facebook.

I also wanted to say that I heard yesterday the fires in Bonny Doon, Santa Cruz, Calif are out of control so bad. The smoke in the area is also just horrible so if you can avoid that area do so. My sister who lives there, picked the perfect time to take a vacation to San Diego and I hope she and her family enjoy it there and that there are no fires.

Enjoy Monday and have a great fresh start to the week.

End of Summer Storm~Finally

After a long day of work, and heat, I decided to take an evening walk with the dog around the block. The sky gathering grey clouds from the north, winds were blowing the willow tree leaves around me in gusts. No one was out because although it was the first time in the day that the heat wasn't oppresive, the night was slowly creeping up and with it the bats and other creatures that keep many of us desert dwellers indoors. But feeling like I would burst if I didn't get some exercise I walked Blue around the block a few times and then when we returned I sat in the driveway on the curb and just watched as this beautiful cloud rolled in. There was lightening shooting out from it and lots of thunder. I got a few nice images and believe it or not this is untouched in photoshop. Minutes later the sky turned dark and blue purple and then we had our short lived rain. I am so longing to have cooler weather and today got up to grey skies and 67 degrees. I walked with a light sprinkle for almost an hour and relished every cool minute of it. I happened upon several people I knew both who were so glad it had cooled. One old woman said to me"I don't even care if it rains, no umbrella, what do I care" I agreed and went on my way.
Funny how much you can appreciate what someone else takes for granted or even loathes, the rain and grey skies. It could be the opposite for my mom and sister who live in the very far northwest where warm and sunny are something they experience about 2 weeks of the year.
Although there was a heat wave for a week this summer up there.
I for one will not complain when the fall is truly here. I so look forward to it.
School has started and the seasons are changing..I hope!

Koi Pond

here is a digitally altered image of Koi that I photographed in Hawaii and now have listed in my shop on Etsy. I had so much fun with this photo and am pretty happy with the results. I wanted to make the fish jump off the page with the color so I worked and reworked the tones.
Well it has finally come, tomorrow is the first day of school for Rita, a senior and I am very proud of her. She really has accomplished alot in her 4 years in academics and sports and honestly I could not have imagined it any other way for her.
Now last night she started her essay for the colleges and it will be a small task to accomplish the next phase of the year and that is finishing up all that needs to be done to graduate and move on to college.
Our weather has really cooled down alot, mornings are now in the high 70s and very nice for walking the dog. I am going further now that the heat has let up a bit although it still gets 99 in afternoons here but I will not complain as there is rain in many areas.
I guess summer is starting to wind down everywhere and that brings on Indian summer which the colors in the Koi pond remind me of. I miss terribly the leaves changing and look forward some day to returning to a place to see nature's painterly schemes in the fall.
I am reading a wonderful book that is called Shantaram by Gregory Roberts, a huge novel based on his life as an escaped convict who fleas New Zealand and ends up in Bombay. I am only 2 chapters in but every word is wonderful and I recommend it highly!

Back to School 1924 style

I wanted to try a little something different today. After looking at Rita's blog which she has spent a great deal of time creating animalgamalia, I decided to try a different approach to the layout. Not sure I will like it but will see how it looks when I am done with it. The boy who is all dapper in his wool suit and bow tie above with his school books in hand was a young man named Bobby Freeman from Pasadena, CA, 1924. He was the oldest of 5 children and also the only one to cause his mother any worry. He was driving their car at 14 and eventually sent off to a Toronto boarding school which was taught in the British fashion. I love this photo of him because from what I have learned of Bobby he was a bit of a rebel and also a very charasmatic young man. He traveled on a ship at a young age with his father to Alaska to a religious camp to minister to the native people there. His father was a minister of the largest church in Pasadena at the time. ALl the children were schooled in Montessori style schools to teach the children independence and it paid off for all of their children I am sure.

For myself growing up, August in Michigan meant a month left to have freedom and fun and not worry about school until after labor day. For my own daughter now she is reading her AP biology book in preparation of what will be a class that will require 3 hours of reading for only one class and as an incoming senior she will be having alot on her plate. There is the senior project, applications to colleges, letters of recommendation to the colleges, cross country running for which she has already started to train by running 4 miles a day, student council and her 4 other classes. This seems like alot to do but then preparing for college is not like any other preparation that a young teen will face for that is the big leap, one which will set their course. I want to start a mother's group for those who have seniors. Let us compare notes to see how we do, how our children manage and what little and big things we all face. I have mixed feelings but really they are all filled with hope. I hope our economy picks up. I hope that our country can get back on its feet. I hope they find a cure for cancer. I hope the sky will stay blue and the stars continue to shine down on us all. Fall approaches and although its 100 degrees in the desert I am really one who looks forward to cooler weather and hope it comes soon~

DEMOCRACY!

I found this today while looking through one of my photo albums and made it into a greeting card. The year is 1920 and even back then teachers, you can see her in the middle with a star on her hat and standing above the girls in back, were encouraging children to be a participant in their country's holidays and politics. This is so cute.. I had to make it into a card. There are more letters than needed to spell this and some of the letters go the wrong way, making it even sweeter!
If you click on the link in the title you will be taken to my etsy store where it is listed. I added it as another Etsyprojectembrace so that people who buy it will be donating a portion to the Cancer Society in Laura Slocum's name.

Sunday is a wonderful day to do what you want.
Rita and I took an outing to the local Walgreens and Goodwill. Neither were exciting but then again there isn't much to do in 100 degree heat!

tax collector~painted pottery

I have been slow on the uptake this summer, not wanting to blog much. I think with the intense heat we have there is a good excuse. I found this in an album and will be listing it on my ebay site but loved it so much I decided to post it here. Although it is not tax time for everyone, for some of us that pay quarterly, such as myself, it is tax time 4 times a year and one cherry on the icing in April. I loved this image so much and decided to do a gradient background. This was fun, selecting it with the magnetic tool and then running a high pass on the image. These young women were "out on a lark", as they used to say, running around town with their new Kodak, and taking photos wherever they please. This is a good one!
So today is the last day of July!phew! and I thought the summer would last forever, didn't you?
I for one had an enjoyable June and July and look forward to one more warm month. I just wish I didn't have to go to the dentist today!
I spent a couple days at a little barn/store and painted pottery this summer, for fun and for gifts. I highly recommend doing so with someone you love or by yourself. It was relaxing and rewarding as when the bowls I painted were fired it was so great to pick them up, wrap them and see the faces of those who received something"made by hand". I will return to our little local painting pottery place. Look for one in your neighborhood. You won't be sorry.

James Bond~ Ian Fleming~MI5 BBC Series

Ian Fleming
Last night after a long day all I could think of was watching a film. I had rented a few and all seemed to serious or stupid and I went through my list of films I had taped on the dvr and Casino Royale was there. I watched it for what seemed like 3 hours. It was so well done, the music, the direction, the costumes. I have always had a fascination with James Bond and British spy movies. I cannot say why as I am not a fan of violence in film but really there is something I absolutely love about the James Bond films. I guess its the traveling to foreign lands, the beautiful scenery, the intrigue and adventure and the incredible stunts. Casino Royale didn't disappoint in that department.
I got online and read a bit about Ian Fleming and this is what I found about the author of these spy novels, Ian Lancaster Fleming was an English author and journalist. Fleming is best remembered for creating the character of James Bond and chronicling his adventures in twelve novels and nine short stories. Additionally, Fleming wrote the children’s story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and two non-fiction books.


link to youtube casino Royale from 1967

link to Youtube From Russia with Love



I cannot seem to get enough British spy adventure. I have watched nearly all the BBC series MI5 which has been showing this summer on PBS. If you have not seen it I highly recommend it as the acting and suspense are superb, the characters are very well defined and the plots are fascinating.

I guess summer is the time for frivolous viewing and for that I cannot say enough about any of the choices above although a big screen helps with James Bond.
Enjoy and if you come across any good spy movies, drop me a line and let me know.

check out this article on the BBC website about MI5 agents.

And here is the Wikipedia article on the show I spoke of above, in Canada it was called Spooks, seen in almost every country this series has been nominated for Best Drama Series BAFTA award and many others. If you want the lowdown on the show you can get it here.

Rita's Blog revisited~come take a look!

Please take a dogsled over and check out my daughter Rita's new blog start up. She was just waiting for the right time to revisit it and I am so glad she did.
Click here to go visit Amalgamalia-her blog and click the illustration above to go to her Animalgam store to see her newest illustrations. I am so happy she has taken time out of her cross country running and listing in her vintage store to go back to her best true love, ART! I am a very proud mom of both my girls and soon I will be posting about my other daughter and her adventures with her latest big new business she has launched. For now its a secret but its going to be big!

Seattle Trip~ Mom's 80th Birthday

Well we made it back in one piece after much traveling~our trip from Flagstaff to Seattle had us landing and taking off 8 times to get there! But on arrival sister Jenny so kind to pick us up and drop us at the hotel which I must say was an A+ experience! The Marriott on the water with spectacular views and incredible service! Then traveling over the bridge with Sharon to the party the following day and met by Jenny coming up from her kitchen on level one of her and Jeff's beautiful home in West Seattle. Lots of children and teens and adults to make the family gathering to celebrate Mom's 80th birthday just as pleasant as it could be. My sister and her family were fabulous to have it at their home and Jenny's food did not disappoint. The following day we met up again at her home for more visiting and again she supplied us lunch! There were outings to the antique and thrift stores and shopping around Seattle. Lots of walking..and did I say walking? to work up an appetite for the wonderful seafood that we had at every place we ate. Lots of photos taken and here are a few. I had the best time as I am sure Rita did as well and we were very happy to come home and pick up Blue at the kennel where the lady almost refused her tip saying he was such a wonderful guest with his smiling that the ladies fell in love with him.
Seattle in summer.. I cannot think of another place that would have been nicer. If you have never been there make the trip. Lots of tourists and locals and really a clean and beautiful city.
Several points to see~ the original Starbucks which we visited each morning~La Paloma restaurant in Pioneer square, middle eastern food rustic restaurant run by 2 Thai gals..photos to follow at a later date~ Cutters for their seafood salmon chowder~on and on. I can tell we will go back to see more of the woods but the city proved wonderful. We were lucky enough to be at the grand opening of Seattle's Literail and the mural was across from the tracks as we stood with all the excited folks who would be the first to ride the literail from one side of the city to the other, what a great experience. It was 3 decades in the making and probably millions and millions of dollars. The artwork at every stop was beyond incredible! We tried but never made it to the museum's Andrew Wyeth exhibit. Next time. As we climbed the steps at the pioneer station to catch the lite rail back the waves of cheers from the stadium roared through our bodies like an electrical charge sending chills all over my body. Throngs of fans of the Seattle soccer team, the Sounders were there to cheer on their team against Chelsea. The stadium made me nervous just to look at the seats going hundreds of feet into the air. So there was much good cheer with family and wonderful sites to take in on our trip to Seattle. Five days was not enough.
Here it is Friday again and a week ago we were in transit to Seattle. Time flies so enjoy it while its available. Take a trip to Seattle, you will not regret it!

French Girl w Magazine

***UPDATE***
My computer hard drive was recovered and all files still intact. I truly love those guys at MAc Clinic. They saved me from losing all that work for 5 years. I am so happy that I can be back on Etsy and also to have those photographs back! hooray... I went out and got a lottery ticket for tonite and its a quick pick and the first two numbers were 7 15, does that mean anything as that is today's date? I will let you know tomorrow.

This is from a photograph from a glass negative that my friend in France sent me a few weeks ago. I just loved the composition of the girl sitting on a table reading her magazine with the window light coming in. Of course the challenge was in the color as this was a black and white and I had to invent the color. I am old hat there as I have been adding color over black and white photographs for years and this proved to be a challenge but not one I couldn't overcome. So here she is.

Cherry Scones~Day after the Crash

Yes these are the same scones I made today. Why because I had to do something creative and fun to appease myself as yesterday was such a difficult day to get through. MY trusty hard drive stopped working, refused to show up at all and after hours at the MAc Clinic the verdict didn't look good. All of my 5 years worth of work was lost melted into oblivion and no way to recover it unless I fork over $1500 which it could even be more. This was me being stupid as all the scanned glass negatives and hand tinting had not been backed up onto anything and I was forced to shut down my etsy store.

Yes its a sad day indeed. I have to carry on and keep calm, you know the old saying.
I still have hope that the info can be recovered. Honestly the amount of hours of work on that hard drive is not even estimateable if that is a word.

So yes those scones were great but really they didn't make it that much easier to handle.
I do look forward to vacation for 5 days on Fri to visit my mom and dad in Seattle with all the girls and children. Sara won't be there which is sad but there will be plenty of kids to love and lots of good ole Clancy chatter!

So keep all your fingers and toes crossed that I will get my hard drive info back. Sadly I came home to an order of 2 photos when I came back from the MAc Clinic. I had to cry, the images are on that drive alone.

Oh well things could be worse. I still have my G5 and it works somewhat slower but that is fine.
Have a great Monday!

Flamingos~ETSYEMBRACE!

Oh what a life. SLeeping on one foot. Fragile and beautiful these lovely and unusual birds of the tropics are at peace as long as there is room for small foot to stay put. Why they don't fall over, probably the math of the angle of their foot balanced under their feathers. Whatever the reason we love to look at them and they don't seem that bothered by humans.
Another photo from Hawaii. I guess I am in the mood to be near the beach. I just dropped the car off for its yearly, tune up and new tires and walked the dog in 95 degree heat looking for any and all shade while we walk. Yes, I am thinking of the ocean and how blue and cool it looks to anyone who is hot. I have finished my LOST addiction by watching the final episodes from last season and now will have to wait with everyone else to see what happens to those who dare to go back to the island.

I lived in Oahu in 1980 and worked in the downtown area on a cruise ship and also at a photo store and costume store on hotel street. Three jobs, one year. My oldest Sara went to school at the Kaimuki elementary school around the corner. We had geckos on the wall and no TV so we listened to old tv shows on tape from the library and every fri nite drove to the University in Manoa to see a classic film in the air conditioned theater for $2. Saturdays we went to Pattis Kitchen in the Mauna L0a mall for a cafeteria style all you could eat chinese food. Yummy food. Then most days after work we went to the beach and sat by the water.
Life was good but a bit boring and I longed to be nearer my family. I will always remember the time spent there and also my vacation to big Island 6 years ago. I have my wonderful memories and also some pretty cool photos!
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Enjoy Friday and the weekend. Shop Etsyprojectembrace to help support donations to cancer foundation in Laura Slocum's name. She is an amazing woman and a great artist and ferociously brave person with ovarian cancer. She has taught me alot about what is truly important in life and we have never met. But really it doesn't matter. I still care alot about her and hope and pray she will recover soon!
Look for the tag Etsyprojectembrace on items on Etsy and you will be taken to listings that are donating to cancer foundation!

Behind the Door~Polynesian artistry~Wimbeldon ends

Once again I keep coming back to my Hawaiin images. I think because its so hot in Sedona that I feel often I am living in a foreign country that is hot all the time. Of course minus the moisture which is required to make you sweat such as in Malasia or Thailand.
This is a beautiful carved door from probably the late 1600s and not sure where but knowing only that it is Asian in design. As it is morning and our birds are singing I imagine that these roosters greeted the new day in this far away country and time that this was created by some loving hands of an artisan probably for a wealthy family who really wanted to make a first impression.
The doorway at the front of a home is often the first thing one sees before entering the home and it may have been auspicious to have roosters adorn that which would open up to a wonderful palace or wealthy estate.
The red and blue flowers are faded but still the amazing work of the carver has come through and loving all things old this has acquired a certain charm of its own by way of age. As we all know things get better w age, wine, women and architecture!
I am readying myself to brave the early morning walk and got up early to catch an Etsy treasury only to miss it by 7 minutes.. oh well.
Last night I watched with Rita, the men's Wimbledon final. I have to say although Federer won, it was a match won by Andy Roddick. The longest 5th set in the history of Wimbledon, Andy was on serve through 15 games. Unheard of. It was a wearing down of Andy as Federer was going for a record to beat Pete Sampras' title of having won 7 grand slam titles. Now Federer can have his baby w his wife in a few months and also claim title as the greatest tennis player ever to have lived.
I am always for the underdog and believe that Andy Roddick's time will come.
I also enjoyed French open when Robin Soederling the swede beat Nadal but didn't win the title.
I guess the Swiss just have good coaches. The best part of the whole 4.5 hours of the match was listening to John MacEnroe narrate. He is the best and to me still the best tennis player ever to watch and compete although his nemesis Bjorn Borg attended along w Pete Sampras and Ron Laver who now is a very old man. Time flies even in the world of tennis. Now the us open is coming and I will love that as well.
Summer is good for lots of things, but I have to say... good tennis is definitely one of my favorite things! I played all through college and until I slipped a disc in my neck I was a good player.
Well, must face the sunshine.. oh how terrible, it could be worse. Sunshine is not so bad. In fact its good.. keeps us cheerful I think!
have a great day! and play some tennis, its fun!

Indonesian Flying Horse

This image was taken in Hawaii at the Hilton hotel where there is one of the finest collections of polynesian art anywhere. This horse is life sized and carved of several pieces of wood. I encourage anyone going to the big island to reserve at least several hours to enjoy all the wonderful sights inside this hotel. The Hiltons really put some time and money into this collection and I promise you will not be sorry. I almost want to say its worth the trip but there are other things on that island as well and this collection is one not to be missed. They have also a modern gallery there which displays current artwork for sale from around the world.
A little piece of art paradise..
Happy the fourth is over, and now we can go into the remainder of summer and our predicted 98 degrees for 2 weeks forward will keep me indoors and walking blue early. ok so must go do that as my thermometer reads 89 now.

adele shaw ~dancing to her own beat

This is a photo of a young woman named Adele Shaw. She is doing a rather primal spring dance with a lute in hand. This is one of 2 images taken of her in the 1920 at the edge of Chapin Lake in Michigan. Why she dressed up and did this dance and had her photo taken we will never know. All we know is that she did it and did it her bare feet dancing to her own beat. I love the idea of "marching to your own beat" I think I have always done so and often with many consequences that were dreadful but yet still I continued. I rarely would want or be able to"follow the crowd" and did as I pleased. I honestly have never been one for public dancing or even much for dancing although as a young child I remember my mother taking me to the ballet downtown and how much of an impression it made on me. Forever I would aspire to lofty ideals and felt that I was in a secret club that had seen a special thing that was reserved for only the wealthiest or most educated of people. This carried forward after attending catholic schools where, although I bucked the system and was always being opositional to rules, I retained the best that the education could offer which included the luxury of studying art history in the 9th grade, something I would take again in college and because I had that earlier education it came back readily as if it had been stored in a closet in my brain.
So here I would say give kids plenty of experiences to things outside their neighborhood, like downtown ballet and symphonies and book readings and movies that are a little avant garde in nature. You may be gifting them an opportunity to have an impression that could change their life.

Ethel Smith~The double crosser~watercolor

This is a watercolor of a photograph that I came across awhile ago and it was an average small wallet sized photo but the back had in man's bad handwriting,"Ethel Smith, double crosser". You could tell he kept it the rest of his life, probably in the back of his wallet. Maybe even his first true love that broke his heart. I am not sure I did Ethel justice as she was a beautiful yet simple woman about 25 and with a look that many men might not be able to resist. A country gal that probably stood out from the crowd at bbq's and almost demanded the rest of the women be jealous of her. I found it touching too that this man kept the photo despite what she had done to his heart, because at one time she might have loved him and for that, he was glad.
I love the little stories one finds in old photos. They are there whether real or unreal, somehow I seem to hear the voices and imagine the stories they would tell if they could talk.
I would like to do more portraits and may list them.